A Review of Billy Elliot
At the Taliesin Theatre, 19 - 20th March 2010
A West Glamorgan Youth Theatre production is usually something to write home about. Such a renowned company in Swansea often produces shows of a professional feel, and is famous for producing such top talent as Michael Sheen (now one of their patrons). However, after seeing the London production a little under a month ago, I feel that West Glam did not rise to the challenge. From the offset, the scaffolding/scenery made me feel uneasy and it seemed as though they were trying to make the production feel contemporary - either that or they were using another bit of set from a previous production to save on costs. Either way, I felt it worked for Billy's house, but not so well as the backdrop of the dance class, the audition space or Michael's house. The scene changes, done by cast members, felt sloppy and slow, and no segue music was added to help these quite obvious changes along.
One thing the film, and no doubt the show, Billy Elliot is about is a young boy who discovers he has a talent for dance. The young boy playing Billy no doubt was talented - in singing and acting. However, he did not attempt a pirouhette or a chaine during the dance numbers, and his solo dance sequences seemed to be short lived. Angry Dance and Electricity are numbers where Billy is supposed to be an explosive dancer, showing off his hidden talents, backflipping and tapping. Angry Dance showed us five Billy-alikes, all dancing together, in a very reserved manner, which proceeded in an anti-climactic ending and a bare stage. Electricity, possibly Billy's most important number in the show, is the number in which the board agree to give him a place in "Ballet School". However, if I would have been on the board, I wouldn't have bothered offering him a space. He did very little, and just watched some older male ensemble dancers display their dance talents instead. Again, the ending of Electricity was an extreme anti-climax, with Billy ending the number centre stage and grinning, looking very pleased with himself, though it is beyond me why. In London, the young boy ended the song with a backflip - now THAT was impressive.
The strongest link in the cast was definitely Mrs Wilkinson, Billy's dance teacher, although she seemed to have only one emotion at most points - annoyed. Mrs Wilkinson, although a hard-faced Northerner, is also a mother, and this should be evident in the way she strives for Billy's success. There needed to be a more tender moment between them at the end of the show when he receives his good news, and there needed to be more anger at other points, especially when confronted by Jacky Elliot, Billy's miner father. Other cast members seemed rather average for such a hyped-up company, with the boxing teacher seeming a little too camp for the role he was cast in, and the Grandmother looked like a teenager with a back problem. Both were good performers, but neither seemed right for their roles, unfortunately.
Although the youngsters provided appropriate cute-factor, Billy's friend Michael was definitely one of the stronger ones, carrying off his song with gusto, and seemed quite comfortable wearing a dress on stage for all to see. He seemed mature enough to play the role without any obvious embarrassment that may become a young boy of such an age (I estimate around eleven years old?).
The choral singing was a bit of a disappointment as most of it was drowned out by the band. The most important company number, Solidarity, seemed lost behind guitar riffs and drum beats, and Billy Elliot newbies may have been lost as to what was happening as the lyrics were unclear (not through the fault of the company).
Billy's sad lack-of dancing aside, the movement was impressive, especially in the song sang by the Grandmother, which saw three couples dancing in a contemporary-esque style and mirroring the lyrics beautifully. The syncronisation of the six could not be faulted, and the performance by the Grandmother was very poigniant (which was a relief in a show full of missed moments).
All in all, after seeing a professional company's version, my expectations were definitely not met tonight. This is the first in a line of amateur youth productions of the musical, and I'm hoping that things can only improve from here on out. Granted, the company only had eight weeks of rehearsal, and the individual performances could hardly be faulted - but casting a young boy as Billy Elliot who couldn't dance seemed a bit of a poor move for the West Glam mega-directors. I hope that my opinion is not lonely, and that others can agree with some, if not all, of my points.